For the last three weeks I have been introducing you to songs about Christmas. One was about the joy of Christmas (Born is the King), the next was about the hurt that surrounds Christmas (Shepherd’s Lament), and the last one was about the personal nature of Christmas (Here With Us). This week I want to share with you a song about the future of Christmas; the song is called He Shall Reign by Chris Tomlin, watch it here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NVN2bnjBlCU.
This song speaks of the eternal reign of Jesus over his creation. And it’s this eternal reign that we’re going to talk about today. So if you have your Bibles we’re going to be in the book of Romans chapter 8 verse 22. And as we open up to Roman 8:22, let’s look back on the last three weeks of this sermon series.
In the last three weeks we’ve been talking about the Exclamations of Christmas. Those moments in the Christmas story where people exclaimed songs and prophecies about Jesus and what his brith was about.
The first of these exclamations came from Mary, who, upon hearing the words of the angel, and who saw those words confirmed in her relative Elizabeth, broke out into a song, thanking God for using her and fulfilling his promises to his covenant people, Israel. In that, week we talked about how Christmas is the fulfillment of God’s spoken word for thousands of years. Christmas is God fulfilling so many prophecies and promises of the Old Testament, which means those promises yet to be fulfilled will come to pass.
Zechariah’s song was the second exclamation we read. It was from a place of doubt that his song erupted. Zechariah couldn’t believe that God would give him a child in his old age, though he knew the story about how God did just that with Abraham, Zechariah couldn’t believe it could happen to him. Yet when the child was born, and Zechariah accepted the work of God in his life, his song of thanksgiving flowed from his lips. Showing that God is still at work even today. That though you might feel like God has given up on you, he hasn’t, he still wants to work as he did in Abraham’s day, as he did in Zechariah’s day, because that’s what Christmas is, God is still at work.
Finally last week we look at Simeon’s prophecy. Simeon was a man who followed God and was promised to see the Messiah, which he called Israel’s comfort. And when he saw the baby Jesus in the temple of God, he exclaimed how gracious was God. Then he spoke to Mary about what this child would do, bringing forth a watershed moment for humanity. Either to fall away from Jesus, or to rise with him. And that Mary herself would see the pain that would have to occur in order for humanity to have this salvation path opened. It was a very personal moment, for both Simeon and Mary, which is what Christmas is. It’s the personal God coming personally to the world, so that each individual would have their heart revealed, to which we either follow or fall from Jesus.
This brings us to our final exclamation of Christmas, an exclamation that is brewing right now. Let’s read together Romans chapter 8, starting in verse 22.
“22 We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. 23 Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies. 24 For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have? 25 But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.”
Like we’ve said before, when we think of the Christmas story, shepherds, wisemen, donkeys, stars, angels, and things like that are what we think of. But there is so much more to the Christmas story than those things. The shepherds are important, because it shows us that Jesus has come for the lowest of society. The wisemen show us that Jesus also comes for the highest of society, and also for those that seem the furtherest away. The animals remind us of the humility of God, that he was born in their feeding trough. The angels remind us that Jesus is God and deserves all praise and glory. Jospeh and Mary remind us that God worked through Israel to bring about his fix for the sin of humanity. All these things have their place in the Christmas event, but at the heart of it, what is this event?
This event is called Advent. That word’s definition is “the arrival of a notable person, thing, or event.” The Christmas story tells of God coming to earth, this is why in Isaiah’s prophecy, written almost 700 years prior to this moment, stated, “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel (7:14).” The name Immanuel translates to, “God with us” This is a monumental event, because unlike the gods that so many worshiped at the time, this God was coming as fully human.
This is what is called the incarnation. It’s God wrapping himself in the flesh of his creation. This infinite God, restricting himself to having a human mother take care of him. To needing food, water, sleep. He walks with people, talks with them, he reaches out and touches the untouchable lepers; he speaks with the rejected of society in the prostitutes and tax collectors; he speaks to kings and governors, soldiers, enemies of Israel. Because he is their Creator. And their Creator was there with them in the muck and mire of the pain and suffering that happens in this world.
Jesus saw it all; first hand the results of our personal sin that adds to the great suffering of this world. The jealous actions we take, the angry thoughts we let fester, the lustful passions of our sexuality, Jesus saw it all. And through his incarnation on earth, his wrapping himself in our skin, he heads to the cross. Because at the cross, the infinite God of love, and the corrosive plight of sin met. The payment of sin that was needed from every individual was paid on the cross. Sin has in bondage the creation that God made perfect, and at the cross, through Immanuel’s death, that bondage was broken and humanity now had two paths, where once there was only one.
Three days later, Jesus arose because death cannot hold the infinite God who lays down his life for his creation. And now, Jesus works in anticipation for the day when he will return, a second advent event.
This is where our last exclamation of Christmas comes in. Creation’s exclamation. Where the other three exclamations have come and gone, this final one is brewing within the world even now. The very universe in which sin has so marred it from its Creator’s original perfection, groans and anticipates that day when the promise of Christmas will be fully realized.
See God’s intention has always been, that Advent would be a daily occurrence. That his walking and talking with his creation would always occur. He created a space for that with his first humans Adam and Eve, and there will be a day where he will do it again with all those who put there trust into him as their Savior.
It’s not just creation who’s exclamation is brewing, but God’s people too. Every praise, and thanks, that is given to God is a hum that awaits the crescendo that is to come.
At Jesus’ second advent, it will be a fulfillment of promise, like Mary’s exclamation.
At Jesus’ second advent, it will be a realization that God is still at work in this world, like what Zechariah experienced.
At Jesus’ second advent, it will be a personal event and a comfort to those who seek him, as was Simeon’s.
At Jesus’ second advent, it will be a joyous day for those who’s exclamation was brewing in anticipation of their Savior’s return.
This is what Christmas is, fulfillment of God’s promises, God’s mighty work today, personal and comforting, and pointing to the final chapter of God’s work on behalf of humanity, it’s second coming.
I want to invite you this Christmas season to participate in creation’s brewing exclamation. The reason Jesus came is because you and I needed it. God created us to be with him, which means he created us to follow his boundaries within that creation. It’s when we go outside of those boundaries that we sin. When we lie instead of telling the truth, we’ve gone outside the boundaries. When we’ve held on to anger towards the people around us instead of forgiving them, we’ve gone outside God’s boundaries. When we’ve lied, cheated, stolen, degraded others, gossiped, we’ve gone outside the boundaries that God created us to live in and we have sinned.
But God loves us too much that he would leave is in that state. He himself comes down to us, wraps himself in the very flesh that surrounds our spirits, and lived the life within the boundaries he set out for us. Our lives that we live outside God’s boundaries lead us to only one place, and that’s an eternal death beyond the physical one all people experience. One man, Adam, started this whole thing of sin leading to death, so all it took was one man Jesus to live the life Adam was supposed to, to break sin’s death grip. Jesus didn’t deserve to die, because he didn’t sin, but he chose to die as a payment for our sin. So now, we can either agree with him, that we are sinners in need of his sacrifice, or we can reject it.
Christmas is either the advent of God coming to earth because his creation is lost in sin, and therefore we should turn to him and accept his payment for our sin, following him for the rest of our lives. Or Christmas is a holiday where we have a brief glimmer of happiness, but that runs up debt and too often feels empty by New Years Day. And all one has to do to be forgiven of sin, to join with creation’s brewing song is to go to God and accept. Accept we have sinned, accept we need a Savior, and follow Jesus in what he says from now until the crescendo of creation’s song is met in Jesus’ second advent.
No greater words were spoken but that come from the mouth of the Incarnate Jesus at his first Advent, “16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.”
My challenge to you this Christmas Day, is parts. First if you do not know what it means that Jesus is Savior, or that you want to know, or you have questions, please take one of those “Connect With Us” cards that’s in your bulletin. Fill it out, and allow me to call you this week to speak with you. I want your questions to be answered, your thoughts to be heard, because I want you to join with me at that crescendo.
For those of you who have trusted in Jesus as your Savior, today is Christmas Day, your Savior has come and is coming again. Warm up those vocal pipes, praise him today for all that he has done and will do. Sing your favorite Christmas song and prepare for the crescendo of creation’s song.
Let us celebrate the first advent as we look forward to Jesus’ second one. If the first was a sight to be hold, just think about what the second one holds to come. Amen
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